Its cool gulf breezes lured him from a life of danger. Its dark undercurrents threatened to destroy him.

After ten years of living life on the edge, it was hard for Doc Ford to get that addiction to danger out of his system. But spending each day watching the sun melt into Dinkins Bay and the moon rise over the mangrove trees, cooking dinner for his beautiful neighbor, andIts cool gulf breezes lured him from a life of danger. Its dark undercurrents threatened to destroy him.

After ten years of living life on the edge, it was hard for Doc Ford to get that addiction to danger out of his system. But spending each day watching the sun melt into Dinkins Bay and the moon rise over the mangrove trees, cooking dinner for his beautiful neighbor, and dispensing advice to the locals over a cold beer lulled him into letting his guard down.

Then Rafe Hollins appeared.

How could he refuse his old friend's request-even if it would put him back on the firing line? Even if it would change forever the life he'd built here on Sanibel Island?...more

Paperback, 307 pages

Published
April 15th 1991
by St. Martin's Paperbacks
(first published 1990)

Community Reviews

What a disappointing all-around mess. Having recently spent a week on Sanibel Island and eaten many times at Randy Wayne White's restaurant, Doc Ford's, I was excited about reading this book. The story, first and foremost, was borrrrriiiing. I plodded through it, thinking, is this over yet? My next problem is that there wasn't much of a plot. It wasn't compelling and it didn't flow well at all. What little plot there was was also unbelievable. Doc Ford and his goofy sidekick, Tomlinson, can singWhat a disappointing all-around mess. Having recently spent a week on Sanibel Island and eaten many times at Randy Wayne White's restaurant, Doc Ford's, I was excited about reading this book. The story, first and foremost, was borrrrriiiing. I plodded through it, thinking, is this over yet? My next problem is that there wasn't much of a plot. It wasn't compelling and it didn't flow well at all. What little plot there was was also unbelievable. Doc Ford and his goofy sidekick, Tomlinson, can singlehandedly destroy a powerful Latin American guerilla rebel group with the poison of blowfish? Come on! The author rushes through the ending of the book creating lots of lousy and unbelievable excuses for why things happened. Did I happen to mention that everyone ended up rich off the emeralds they accidentally blew out of the ground in Latin America? I guess this is just one big male fantasy, which, being a woman, is probably why I didn't like it! ...more

Ozzie StockI have to agree that the plot like his other books is thin. The allure seems to be the setting. Readers who have vacationed in the area become dreamy-I have to agree that the plot like his other books is thin. The allure seems to be the setting. Readers who have vacationed in the area become dreamy-eyed when their favorite vacation spot is immortalized in a book even if the book is no great work. That's called, "MARKETING"....more
Aug 17, 2013 11:10AM

I am really enthusisatic about Sanibel Flats and am aleady well into my second Doc Ford adventure as I write this review. Why did no one tell me of Randy Wayne White before? A real combination of the great atmospheric writing of James Lee Burke, the high international adventure of Clive Cussler, and the humor of Carl Hiassen. What a combo! Doc White and his side kick Tomlinson are two of the most endearing fictional characters. Tomlinson, of course, evokes Hiassen's Skink, who is in a class by hI am really enthusisatic about Sanibel Flats and am aleady well into my second Doc Ford adventure as I write this review. Why did no one tell me of Randy Wayne White before? A real combination of the great atmospheric writing of James Lee Burke, the high international adventure of Clive Cussler, and the humor of Carl Hiassen. What a combo! Doc White and his side kick Tomlinson are two of the most endearing fictional characters. Tomlinson, of course, evokes Hiassen's Skink, who is in a class by himself as a novelistic character. And White is careful to tie up the many strands he develops, which is satifying in the genre. I am happy to know that I now have many more of this series to read....more

The first in White's, long running "Doc Ford" series. Here is another interesting and unique character. Looking like a beach bum, helpful neighbor, with a good ear for listening... then you find out later in the book, he's not what he seemed in the beginning. Quite a bit of history/science in some fish species, but didn't overwhelm me. I'm hoping his friend and neighbor, Tomlinson, who's an 'ol stoner type dude, that just happened to study at Harvard....stays in the picture. Fun, mystery/thrilleThe first in White's, long running "Doc Ford" series. Here is another interesting and unique character. Looking like a beach bum, helpful neighbor, with a good ear for listening... then you find out later in the book, he's not what he seemed in the beginning. Quite a bit of history/science in some fish species, but didn't overwhelm me. I'm hoping his friend and neighbor, Tomlinson, who's an 'ol stoner type dude, that just happened to study at Harvard....stays in the picture. Fun, mystery/thriller....more

The first of the Doc Ford mystery novels, but not necessarily the best of the, roughly, 15 Ford titles currently in print. Great summer reading (or for that matter, fall, winter, and spring, too). the novels center on the eponymous Doc Ford, marine biologist living on Dinkin's Bay (a thinly disguised Tarpon Bay) on Sanibel Island, Florida. Ford, a retired CIA operative, and a group of supporting characters including, most notably, his friend Tomlinson, spiritualist/recreational drug user ala CarThe first of the Doc Ford mystery novels, but not necessarily the best of the, roughly, 15 Ford titles currently in print. Great summer reading (or for that matter, fall, winter, and spring, too). the novels center on the eponymous Doc Ford, marine biologist living on Dinkin's Bay (a thinly disguised Tarpon Bay) on Sanibel Island, Florida. Ford, a retired CIA operative, and a group of supporting characters including, most notably, his friend Tomlinson, spiritualist/recreational drug user ala Carlos Castaneda/and remarkably successful ladies man, become involved a variety of murders, assassinations, political machinations, and general skullduggery against a sometimes glorious subtropical background with bits and pieces of fondly remembered "Old Florida" crackers, Calusas, and crocs (yes, crocodiles do inhabit the far southern tip of Florida). These things are like popcorn. You can't stop with one. Gotta go to work the next day, don't pick up one of White's novels; you'll be reading until 3 am. ...more

This is the second Randy Wayne White book I've read. Again, I feel he overdoes the history and biology lessons. Some people might like that, I don't.

It took until they got to the village before I really got interested in the book. I wanted to know if they got the kid out alive. That's why I gave it a 3 rating.

However, the women only showed up in this book to tell Doc Ford how attractive he was and to have sex with him. They were all very one dimentional. It seemed to be that way with the firstThis is the second Randy Wayne White book I've read. Again, I feel he overdoes the history and biology lessons. Some people might like that, I don't.

It took until they got to the village before I really got interested in the book. I wanted to know if they got the kid out alive. That's why I gave it a 3 rating.

However, the women only showed up in this book to tell Doc Ford how attractive he was and to have sex with him. They were all very one dimentional. It seemed to be that way with the first book I read as well. All I could think was stop watching the James Bond movies. It was like Doc Ford was supposed to be a scientific James Bond. However, James Bond gets those women by being charming and charismatic. Doc Ford has no charm or charisma, so what is it women see in him besides his looks? I'm not buying that every woman who bumps into Doc Ford all of a sudden wants to bed him. Once he opens his mouth, I think he would turn off most of them.

If Mr. White could create female characters with a bit more substinance and cut down on the school lessons, I would consider reading another book. However, at this point and time, I think I'll stop while I'm ahead. ...more

Debbie GowingWow, it took me til more than midway through the book to get hooked too. I really like historical fiction, however, and could do with much more historWow, it took me til more than midway through the book to get hooked too. I really like historical fiction, however, and could do with much more history and biology. I too needed to see the boy through rescue. Felt like the whole suicide was left hanging with way not enough explanation at the beginning....more
Jan 06, 2013 02:00PM

Kathryn BainI agree Debbie. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who didn't care for it. Thanks for the back-up.
Jan 06, 2013 02:03PM

doc ford is my ideal man. i would want to be his woman did i not possess the certainty that i would end up dead or estranged. he's badder than bourne, sexier than dirk pitt, and as smart as pendergast. the dynamic between he and tomlinson grows richer and more bizarre with every book. these are men everyone would benefit from meeting. i know they're make believe but somewhere there exists persons after who these characters were modeled and i'd like to know them in a biblical sense. this series mdoc ford is my ideal man. i would want to be his woman did i not possess the certainty that i would end up dead or estranged. he's badder than bourne, sexier than dirk pitt, and as smart as pendergast. the dynamic between he and tomlinson grows richer and more bizarre with every book. these are men everyone would benefit from meeting. i know they're make believe but somewhere there exists persons after who these characters were modeled and i'd like to know them in a biblical sense. this series makes it imperative that i see florida's west coast before it is destroyed by the tourist industry....more

I’ve had this book, or this series rather, on my list of things to read for so long, I don’t even remember who recommended it to me. It’s been on my list since before I even kept an actual list. My wife used to tease me about my Spreadsheet of Suggested Reading (no, it wasn’t really called that. I’m not that OCD), back in the days before GoodReads.

I was in the mood for a mystery/thriller, and wanted to check out something new. This book is the first in a series featuring author Randy Wayne WhitI’ve had this book, or this series rather, on my list of things to read for so long, I don’t even remember who recommended it to me. It’s been on my list since before I even kept an actual list. My wife used to tease me about my Spreadsheet of Suggested Reading (no, it wasn’t really called that. I’m not that OCD), back in the days before GoodReads.

I was in the mood for a mystery/thriller, and wanted to check out something new. This book is the first in a series featuring author Randy Wayne White’s best known creation, Doc Ford. These recurring characters always have to have a gimmick, and Doc Ford’s gimmick is that he’s…wait for it… a marine biologist who also happens to be ex-NSA! I guess the action/adventure angle wouldn’t be as well-served if he were a marine biologist who also happened to be…a director of corporate development for General Motors! Not quite as intimidating, even though I’m sure there are directors of corporate development out there who are completely badass.

The plot in this one isn’t overly original. Ford gets a call from his old friend Rafe, who is in trouble. He’s mixed up with some bad people, he has something they want, and they’ve kidnapped his son to get it back. Before Ford can even meet with him, Rafe turns up dead. Rafe’s death appears to be a suicide, but Ford believes he was murdered (I seem to be running into the staged-suicide trope in a lot of books lately). There are a couple of twists at the end, but White doesn’t stray too far from the thriller playbook.

He does, however, manage a nice turn of the phrase or two. Here, Doc wonders why just seeing a photo of Rafe’s son triggers his protective streak:

What was in the faces of children, he wondered, that created the impression of innocence and keyed in some adults the urge to shield them from all harm? It was more than bone structure and the absence of facial lines. Perhaps the source of the emotion was some deep coding in the DNA, evolved during speciation to protect the young from marauding adults; a built-in check for the preservation of the species. Whatever it was, the boy’s photograph communicated that innocence: the slight, shy smile, and wide brown eyes staring out as if waiting for something; eyes that trusted and expected only good things. (p. 48)

And later, he makes this observation about human behavior:

Ford sat on the dock reading the newspaper. He rarely looked at a newspaper. He didn’t understand the nation’s habit of clubbing itself each morning with a list of tragedy and doom before trying to go cheerfully into the day. (p. 99)

Overall, I wasn’t blown away, but I also didn’t feel like I completely wasted my time. The writing was strong, and the character was endearing enough for a first time through, that I’d definitely come back for the follow-up. Yet another book that I'd give another half star to if I could....more

It’s been quite a few years since I originally read this novel. I had become bored with the Doc Ford of the most recent novels and I decided to go back to White’s first Doc Ford novel to see if what drew me to the series in the first place was still valid. The answer was a resounding YES. An action thriller that portrays the protagonist as an everyday, workaday, person with special skills.

I miss White intertwining Ford’s occupation as a marine biologist with his occasional forays into adventureIt’s been quite a few years since I originally read this novel. I had become bored with the Doc Ford of the most recent novels and I decided to go back to White’s first Doc Ford novel to see if what drew me to the series in the first place was still valid. The answer was a resounding YES. An action thriller that portrays the protagonist as an everyday, workaday, person with special skills.

I miss White intertwining Ford’s occupation as a marine biologist with his occasional forays into adventure and mystery. I miss the lessons into marine life the White gave via Ford’s eyes and actions. I miss the interaction with the people of Dinkin’s Bay. In other words, I now see why I no longer get excited about a new Doc Ford release.

One thing I did pick up on with the reread. In Sanibel Flats, Doc’s best friend from high school was a helicopter pilot during the war in Vietnam. This puts an age to Doc and makes him in his 60’s. Makes it hard for me to consider him a rough and tumble type action character in the latest novels. But hey, we all age....more

Happened to pick this up at used book store and it's the best $2 I've ever spent. Loved, just loved the book. When I find a writer I love, I tend to read everything they've written and this happened with RWW. Read them all (Doc Ford) and follow him like a groupie. Have also read his six books under Striker and enjoyed them as well, although they're not as 'polished' as the Doc Ford series. Doc Ford and Tomlinson are quite a pair and balance each other in a good, unique and fun way. White's descrHappened to pick this up at used book store and it's the best $2 I've ever spent. Loved, just loved the book. When I find a writer I love, I tend to read everything they've written and this happened with RWW. Read them all (Doc Ford) and follow him like a groupie. Have also read his six books under Striker and enjoyed them as well, although they're not as 'polished' as the Doc Ford series. Doc Ford and Tomlinson are quite a pair and balance each other in a good, unique and fun way. White's description of the surrounding are not only believable but create a sense of place for the reader. So happy to have stumbled upon Randy Wayne White a few years ago. His books have brought me many hours of pleasurable time which was well spent. Much enjoyable reading and it all started with this great book. Can't wait until February 2012 for next one....more

I'm embarrassed as a Parrot Head, Florida Keys lover and as someone who's read all the Travis McGee novels that it's taken me this long to start reading Randy Wayne White.

What the heck was I waiting for?

Doc Ford is a retired spook who has moved back home to Sanibel Island, Florida to start a business supplying schools with preserved sea creatures for dissection. Sounds like a decent life and Doc is enjoying until he gets a call from an old high school buddy who's son has been kidnapped by some bI'm embarrassed as a Parrot Head, Florida Keys lover and as someone who's read all the Travis McGee novels that it's taken me this long to start reading Randy Wayne White.

What the heck was I waiting for?

Doc Ford is a retired spook who has moved back home to Sanibel Island, Florida to start a business supplying schools with preserved sea creatures for dissection. Sounds like a decent life and Doc is enjoying until he gets a call from an old high school buddy who's son has been kidnapped by some bad dudes in Central America. Soon, Doc is pulled into a murder case and a search and rescue operation.

I could tell this was written in 1990 because of the lack of cell phones and computers but that didn't affect the story at all. It was full of mystery, danger and some comedy.

I enjoy the character development in these books. The setting is where I will perhaps spend much of my retirement days, and I'd love to meet up with a "Doc Ford" in the area! ;-) He is intelligent, loves great music, and extremely intelligent balanced with a kind heart. I may read all of Randy Wayne White books in the future. Fun and exciting.

This is a real fun novel with a lot to offer. What starts off as somewhat of a mystery novel soon turns into an action/thriller type of novel. There are some great characters in this one also. Doc Ford the main character is introduced to the reader and develops as the novel progresses into quite a bit more than the reader is shown at the beginning. There is one character, Tomlinson, that is Ford's neighbor, that I hope to see more of in the other novels in the series. Tomlinson is a stoner fromThis is a real fun novel with a lot to offer. What starts off as somewhat of a mystery novel soon turns into an action/thriller type of novel. There are some great characters in this one also. Doc Ford the main character is introduced to the reader and develops as the novel progresses into quite a bit more than the reader is shown at the beginning. There is one character, Tomlinson, that is Ford's neighbor, that I hope to see more of in the other novels in the series. Tomlinson is a stoner from the sixties that adds a good bit of humor and offsets Ford's character quite well. I look forward to the other books in this series and have confidence they will be entertaining as well....more

This series was highly recommended to me by a friend (male). I was really excited to read it because it is about Sanibel Island, a place near and dear to my heart.

I did like that it talked about the real restaurants/roads/landmarks from the island in the book. And the story line was ok, but this author went way into detail about fishing and science and 'guy stuff' that made it really boring to me. I never really got into it and needless to say never read any more of the series.

We first meet Doc Ford, in this first book of Randy Wayne White’s eponymously named series, as he emerges naked, but for his Nikes, from an underground tunnel across from the Presidential Palace in Masagua, Central America. Doc is only a few steps ahead of palace security, which has chased him from the bedroom of the President’s wife. However, their tryst was no mere dalliance. In fact, it was only the first in a five-year relationship that had slowly changed past friendship into love.

And it wasWe first meet Doc Ford, in this first book of Randy Wayne White’s eponymously named series, as he emerges naked, but for his Nikes, from an underground tunnel across from the Presidential Palace in Masagua, Central America. Doc is only a few steps ahead of palace security, which has chased him from the bedroom of the President’s wife. However, their tryst was no mere dalliance. In fact, it was only the first in a five-year relationship that had slowly changed past friendship into love.

And it was not only their first tryst but also the only one they would have, as it was Doc’s last night in Masagua as a CIA operative. After ten years with the Agency, he had been asked to resign after he used agency influence and resources to back Juan Rivera, who leads a guerilla resistance to the current president. It seems the U.S. government wants to keep the weak, unintelligent and ineffectual Don Jorge Balserio as their puppet rather than adjust to dealing with a more knowledgeable and competent Rivera.

So over the next few pages, we follow as Doc Ford emigrates back to the U.S. and works his way slowly south down the coastal areas of the Atlantic. He finally settles in a rented stilt house built over the water in his hometown of Sanibel Island, Florida. Using his PhD in marine biology, he establishes a small company geared to provide marine specimens to laboratories and schools. Over a year’s time, he settles into the microcosm that is life in Dinkins Bay Marina where his stilt house is located. He is well liked and well respected by the live-aboards and commercial fishermen alike and has even established a friendly but non-physical relationship with an artist living nearby, Jessica McClure.

Then the phone in the marina office rings – for Doc – and it’s Rafe Hollins, Doc’s childhood best friend. They have only seen each other twice since high school, both times in South or Central America. While Doc had gone on to college, the military and the CIA, Rafe had gone into flying private planes, establishing a reputation as a smuggler of any form of contraband except drugs.

Well, it seems that Rafe has smuggled two times too many. First, he kidnapped his 8-year-old son away from his druggie whore of an ex-wife and smuggled him into Costa Rica. Secondly, he stole several Mayan artifacts from one of his employers during a flight. Now, not only is the FBI trying to arrest Rafe, his former employer has kidnapped the son and is holding him in Masagua. And to top it all off, the “employer” is Julio Zacul, the rival and degenerate opposition to Juan Rivera for control of the country.

Rafe wants Doc to use his CIA expertise to help him get his son back. But when Doc goes to meet him at their childhood hideaway, he finds Rafe’s body hanging from a tree, the face eaten away by vultures, with a suicide note nearby. Doc believes that the suicide has been staged. And when the county police whisk the body away and have it cremated immediately, against Florida laws, Doc is convinced of murder. Now the stage is set for two concurrent operations: prove that Rafe has been murdered and rescue the son.

At this point, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the classic quote from “Casablanca,” when Humphrey Bogart says, “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in the world, [she] walks into mine.” First, what are the odds that the kidnapped child is being held in the very same backwater country that Doc was stationed in? Secondly, what are the odds that the child is in a country that Doc cannot legally enter for another year due to the terms of his CIA separation? And finally, just what are the odds that the kidnapper is the direct enemy of the man Ford supported while he was running his operation there?

Since this is White’s debut novel and since it was first published in 1990, I decided to chalk the “coincidences” up to rookie status and to the culture of the decade. And proceeding on, I found a deviously crafted storyline that culminated in a serious case of reading into the middle of the night. Even though the book is written in third person, the reader is not provided any omniscience into the plot. In fact, it is a matter of what the author does not say at specific points along the line rather than what he does say that lays the best clues out for speculation.

The one thing I wasn’t prepared for and should have been, considering the copyright date, was the extensive use of data dumps. They came in two categories – marine biological facts and Mayan cultural history. Interesting as the data was, I found myself scanning past it to get to the “real” action. Then I realized that understanding that “real” action was dependent on the information in the dumps, particularly the ones on ancient Mayan culture. So back I went, re-read the facts and made sure that I didn’t skim again.

In spite of the coincidences and, for me, too much detail in the marine biology data dumps, the end result was a debut novel of substance and character. There are now, as I write this review, 21 books in the series with Doc Ford as lead and Tomlinson as his sidekick. And Randy Wayne White has established them solidly in this first book as characters whose lives I wish to continue reading about....more

Discovered Randy Wayne White (if you say his name fast, you sound like Mr. McGoo) on a recent trip to Florida. His descriptors are so original that he truly owns his location and makes it vibrate into reality. Excellent protagonist, perfectly irritating antagonist, scary plot. A lot of biological, scientific detail, too much for some, but again, he owns his subject. I listened to the excellent audio version and am signing up for the next in his series.

For this past Spring Break vacation I took the family to Sanibel Island, Florida to get away from the horrific Midwest winter. The trip was nice, the island was beautiful and we enjoyed ourselves. One of the restaurants we visited was "Doc Ford's" on the island. The name was familiar to me and I learned that the owner of the place is none other than Randy Wayne White, author of the Doc Ford series. Duh!

I read one of his books in the past and remember liking it, but it was a casual pickup in airpFor this past Spring Break vacation I took the family to Sanibel Island, Florida to get away from the horrific Midwest winter. The trip was nice, the island was beautiful and we enjoyed ourselves. One of the restaurants we visited was "Doc Ford's" on the island. The name was familiar to me and I learned that the owner of the place is none other than Randy Wayne White, author of the Doc Ford series. Duh!

I read one of his books in the past and remember liking it, but it was a casual pickup in airport, read on plane, leave in the hotel room for the next guest kind of thing.

Sanibel Flats is the first novel in the Doc Ford series. It was written in the early 90's and shows its age to a degree. But I found myself caught up in not only the interesting characters and clever plot, but the setting itself. When Doc Ford pushes a skiff across the mirror-like surface of Tarpon Bay I knew precisely where he was and what it looked like. When he grabs a drink at the Lazy Flamingo I recall the fresh grouper I had there. The writing is strong but in a subdued fashion; easy, casual reading. Dialogue is great, and the side characters are positively fascinating.

I really liked it and look forward to reading as many of the books in the series as I can find....more

This book took me forever to finish and that makes it hard to write a review because the beginning seems too faraway. I saw the author speak a few weeks ago and he was an engaging speaker with endearing anecdotes to share. So I am going to cut this book some slack because this was his first in a long successful series. Doc Ford is the man who drives this story. He is a man's man in tune with the rugged underbelly of the sea, former secret operative, and he has a arduous love life. To talk aboutThis book took me forever to finish and that makes it hard to write a review because the beginning seems too faraway. I saw the author speak a few weeks ago and he was an engaging speaker with endearing anecdotes to share. So I am going to cut this book some slack because this was his first in a long successful series. Doc Ford is the man who drives this story. He is a man's man in tune with the rugged underbelly of the sea, former secret operative, and he has a arduous love life. To talk about the story is difficult because there are mysteries unraveling out of other mysteries and to discuss it any of it would potentially ruin the ending. It is perhaps too ambitious? Too many characters and too many agendas to digest? 3 stars for solid character development and 3 stars for a strong sense of place. 1 star for the overall story arc though....more

I really enjoyed this book, it was pretty much a dream line-up of plot elements: a secret agent (even if retired), south florida, central america, mayan history, revolutionaries, marine biology, and even a little painting.

I found it to be well written, and the twist at the end surprised me, which these days doesn't happen often. Doc Ford is a likeable character, super smart, funny, interesting, and the descriptions of Sanibel and sea life are wonderful. A++!

*On a side note, which has nothing toI really enjoyed this book, it was pretty much a dream line-up of plot elements: a secret agent (even if retired), south florida, central america, mayan history, revolutionaries, marine biology, and even a little painting.

I found it to be well written, and the twist at the end surprised me, which these days doesn't happen often. Doc Ford is a likeable character, super smart, funny, interesting, and the descriptions of Sanibel and sea life are wonderful. A++!

*On a side note, which has nothing to do with the author or the story, which I found to be top quality--I listened to the audio version, and I utterly loathed the narrator's performance. Look, I know it's not easy to embody several different characters with one voice, but geeze he butchered it. His voice didn't fit with the character of Doc, his interpretation of Tomlinson was very annoying, and any of the female voices were pure charicacture. I will continue with this series, but I will definitely go the paper route next time. ...more

I read this during a week's vacation on Sanibel Island, and it held my interest enough.Doc Ford leads us from the mangroves of Florida to Central America to rescue hisold friend's 8 year old boy. An interesting enough romp, but not enough Florida formy tastes. Favorite quote:"I'm going with you. This is the chance of a lifetime, and you think I"m going to miss it?My shot at being a bodhisattva...."(one whose essence is enlightenment; a being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana inI read this during a week's vacation on Sanibel Island, and it held my interest enough.Doc Ford leads us from the mangroves of Florida to Central America to rescue hisold friend's 8 year old boy. An interesting enough romp, but not enough Florida formy tastes. Favorite quote:"I'm going with you. This is the chance of a lifetime, and you think I"m going to miss it?My shot at being a bodhisattva...."(one whose essence is enlightenment; a being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others and is worshiped as a deity in Mahayana Buddhism. )...more

The book was recommended by a friend who heard I was going to Sanibel. The trip was long ago but I just got my hands on this book.

It was a good read. The plot had a couple of big holes in it and more than a couple of "yeah, sure" moments in it, but it was a good read. The book leaves lots of room for character development (Doc Ford is a bit like Mr Reese in "Person of Interest". Very mysterious, very calm and very dangerous).

I'd be inclined to read a couple more of these stories, just to see iThe book was recommended by a friend who heard I was going to Sanibel. The trip was long ago but I just got my hands on this book.

It was a good read. The plot had a couple of big holes in it and more than a couple of "yeah, sure" moments in it, but it was a good read. The book leaves lots of room for character development (Doc Ford is a bit like Mr Reese in "Person of Interest". Very mysterious, very calm and very dangerous).

I'd be inclined to read a couple more of these stories, just to see if they go anywhere. ...more

Brilliant. Brave. Generally unemotional, even when blameless men are executed and fed to the sharks.

It is his amoral nature I object to. When he slept with two women in one night in Randy Wayne White’s debut novel in the Doc Ford series, Sanibel Flats, I was disgusted.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

This mystery features a complex and interesting plot, well-drawn characters and just enough violence to make it intense wiDoc Ford is a man’s man, as described by at least one reviewer.

Brilliant. Brave. Generally unemotional, even when blameless men are executed and fed to the sharks.

It is his amoral nature I object to. When he slept with two women in one night in Randy Wayne White’s debut novel in the Doc Ford series, Sanibel Flats, I was disgusted.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

This mystery features a complex and interesting plot, well-drawn characters and just enough violence to make it intense without being especially lurid (I would much rather read about a vulture pecking out a dead man’s eyes than actually see it). And gasp-out-loud surprises. You gotta love that in a mystery.

So Sanibel Flats has all the ingredients of a good novel. And I can see why there are 20 more tales in the series.

But I probably won’t be picking up The Heat Islands, despite the clever trail of crumbs White left readers to feed on in Sanibel Flats. I’m not a fan of mysteries in general, and I don’t like Doc Ford enough to care how he drifts through his less than honorable escapades. ...more

I happened across Doc Ford around the time Dick Francis announced his retirement from writing (c2000). Randy Wayne White seemed to have the "Dick Francis feel" to his books- the decent, stoically suffering hero and the way of presenting interesting information about various topics within a cracking good story. Can't now recall the first one I read but I immediately went back to #1 and caught up fast!

In 2005 I suggested Sanibel for a f2f mystery discussion group. It held up well as a re-read fo I happened across Doc Ford around the time Dick Francis announced his retirement from writing (c2000). Randy Wayne White seemed to have the "Dick Francis feel" to his books- the decent, stoically suffering hero and the way of presenting interesting information about various topics within a cracking good story. Can't now recall the first one I read but I immediately went back to #1 and caught up fast!

In 2005 I suggested Sanibel for a f2f mystery discussion group. It held up well as a re-read for me and I had in fact forgotten much of the story detail. I was once again impressed with how much I LIKE the character of Doc Ford as a person. I like the way he sees nature, women and his friends. A good philosophy and a good man despite his somewhat amoral past in covert ops. Had also forgotten how much of Doc's secret past was revealed in this first installment. I always find those parts the most interesting- I like the way he continues to use those skills and those connections but how conflicted he is about being drawn back in and his regret over some past actions.

Some of the technology had already become antiquated upon second reading (1200 baud modem connections!) and I had forgotten that he hardly knew Tomlinson at the very beginning although I did enjoy the re-introduction to Tomlinson and his off the wall philosophy.

Maybe it was the fact that I was in and around Sanibel Island when I started reading this that appealed to me. (Kind of like reading books set in Chicago -- it's fun to match places in the book to actual locations.) Maybe it was because my husband had dived into the series a week or two earlier and wouldn't stop raving. Maybe it was because the author had a book-signing the day after we arrived at Sanibel, so we met him and bought his newest book. But I was predisposed to enjoy this mystery. TheMaybe it was the fact that I was in and around Sanibel Island when I started reading this that appealed to me. (Kind of like reading books set in Chicago -- it's fun to match places in the book to actual locations.) Maybe it was because my husband had dived into the series a week or two earlier and wouldn't stop raving. Maybe it was because the author had a book-signing the day after we arrived at Sanibel, so we met him and bought his newest book. But I was predisposed to enjoy this mystery. The main character, Doc Ford, is a marine biologist who used to work for some branch of the U.S. intelligence community, stationed in a Central American country. He now lives on a shack-on-stilts in Tarpon Bay (Dinkins Bay in the books), and his neighbors live on boats in the marina. He has started a business supplying ocean creatures to universities and labs. One day he gets a call from an old friend from high school who needs his help. When he goes to meet the friend on a remote island where they used to hang out, he finds the friend hung -- suicide or murder? Doc's investigations cause him to utilize some contacts from his former employers, utilize skills he thought he had left behind, and question the intentions of some new friends. The author expects the reader to bring some effort to following the story, and he develops the mystery and the characters with new revelations that draw us in. Well-paced and gripping, the story kept me turning pages eagerly. And now, on to the first sequel . . ....more

Sanibel Flats, by Randy Wayne White. B-plusThis is the first Doc Ford book. It takes place in Florida. Doc Ford has retired from his work as some kind of government agent. He has come back to live in his boyhood Florida haunts, on Sanibel Island. His boyhood friend calls him out of the blue and asks for his help in rescuing his son. Ford agrees to meet his friend, but when he arrives at their meeting place, he finds his friend’s body hanging with vultures all over it. He tries to convince the shSanibel Flats, by Randy Wayne White. B-plusThis is the first Doc Ford book. It takes place in Florida. Doc Ford has retired from his work as some kind of government agent. He has come back to live in his boyhood Florida haunts, on Sanibel Island. His boyhood friend calls him out of the blue and asks for his help in rescuing his son. Ford agrees to meet his friend, but when he arrives at their meeting place, he finds his friend’s body hanging with vultures all over it. He tries to convince the sheriff that his friend was murdered, but they want to write off the death as suicide. He decides he must go to Central America to rescue his friend’s son. He becomes involved with people he knew from his past and in a civil war including the overthrow of a government and assassination. Of that country’s president. Not quite my cup of tea. We’re supposed to believe that Ford is God’s gift to women, and that he always knows what to do. The writing is brusque, kind of like Parker’s Spenser series. I will read the next two series books for discussion but can’t promise anything after that.

Its cool gulf breezes lured him from a life of danger. Its dark undercurrents threatened to destroy him.After ten years of living life on the edge, it was hard for Doc Ford to get that addiction to danger out of his system. But spending each day watching the sun melt into Dinkins Bay and the moon rise over the mangrove trees, cooking dinner for his beautiful neighbor, and dispensing advice to the locals over a cold beer lulled him into letting his guard down.Then Rafe Hollins appeared.HSynopsis:

Its cool gulf breezes lured him from a life of danger. Its dark undercurrents threatened to destroy him.After ten years of living life on the edge, it was hard for Doc Ford to get that addiction to danger out of his system. But spending each day watching the sun melt into Dinkins Bay and the moon rise over the mangrove trees, cooking dinner for his beautiful neighbor, and dispensing advice to the locals over a cold beer lulled him into letting his guard down.Then Rafe Hollins appeared.How could he refuse his old friend's request-even if it would put him back on the firing line? Even if it would change forever the life he'd built here on Sanibel Island?

Over the years I have enjoyed a fair few crime fiction books set in and around Florida. A couple of names spring to mind as being near the top of the list of my favourites – James W. Hall and Carl Hiaasen. Both of these I have followed fairly closely, maybe not reading every book as it came out, but acquiring them later, to add to the ever-increasing pile on Mount TBR.Possibly, there could be another name to add to the list. I say possibly, because I’ve only just read the first title in a series that to date runs to 20 books. A friend tells me the wheels fall off at or around book 12, in her opinion, but I’ve enjoyed this one enough to want to hunt down the 2nd and I’ll stick with author White and Doc Ford for a while longer.Ford is an ex-CIA agent now out of the business. He’s living his life at a slower pace, getting by using his skills as a marine biologist to supply samples to schools and colleges throughout the country. He’s formed some easy friendships with the locals without giving away too much of himself.Cue mayhem; a call for help from his best childhood friend, Rafe Hollins rips apart his sedentary lifestyle. Hollins’ son has been kidnapped and he wants to enlist Doc’s help in recovering him, in exchange for the merchandise Hollins stole from them. When Doc goes to meet Rafe he finds a corpse swinging in the breeze instead. With his friend gone and his young son missing Ford starts looking into Hollins associates and past. As the plot develops, Ford’s investigation uncovers corruption in Florida, smuggled artefacts and he suffers a trip back to the same Central American war-zone that was the scene of his previous retirement.Fairly fast-paced, interesting and at times informative, I enjoyed reading Sanibel Flats. There’s a likeable cast of characters that White has assembled around the Doc that I’ll look forward to meeting again.

"Sanibel Flats" by Randy Wayne White I give 4 stars to. It's a good book, a very good representative of the crime genre, that is not without flaws. First, what I liked or loved about the book. White is very talented at creating a sense of place, Dinkins Bay, Doc Ford's stilt house on the water, the life of the marina. White beautifully captures life in a beach town/fishing village on the Gulf coast of FLA. If you love FLA, that's a reason in itself to read this yarn.

Second, White also creates in"Sanibel Flats" by Randy Wayne White I give 4 stars to. It's a good book, a very good representative of the crime genre, that is not without flaws. First, what I liked or loved about the book. White is very talented at creating a sense of place, Dinkins Bay, Doc Ford's stilt house on the water, the life of the marina. White beautifully captures life in a beach town/fishing village on the Gulf coast of FLA. If you love FLA, that's a reason in itself to read this yarn.

Second, White also creates interesting characters that the reader looks forward to meeting each time he or she picks up the book: Doc Ford, the protagonist, a marine biologist and former spook, who represents the logical, linear side of the mind. Tomlinson, the sidekick, hippie burnout who lives on a 42' Morgan sailboat anchored in Dinkins Bay, who represents the intuitive, emotional side of the mind. Ford and Tomlinson complete and offset one another. There are also a number of engaging characters who live or work at the marina: Jeff Nichols, fishing guide, who struggles with stuttering and who, therefore, is sometimes the target of bullies. The manager of the marina, who hails from New Zealand, is also an interesting and likeable fellow. The local detective, who Ford knows from high school, who grows to hate Ford more and more as the story unfolds. All likeable, all delightful. Juan Rivera, Central American guerrilla, baseball aficionado, quirky, goes down as one of my alltime favorite freedom fighters. Hope Doc remembered to mention him to the scout from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Third, the story was good, holding together most of the time. I looked forward to returning to the novel each day and discovering what would happen next.

However, there are flaws to the book, which prevent me from awarding 5 stars and almost made me assign 3 stars. First, White utterly fails to draw convincing female characters. The female characters inevitably seem to have sexual hangups and are there for male characters, especially Doc, to have sex with. White fails to create even one female character who is sexually healthy and emotionally and psychologically independent of men, especially Doc. It would be interesting to do a feminist reading of this book, focusing on the sexual fantasies of the author, how the author projects his fantasies onto a blank canvas, creating female personas who are flat, objectified, dependent, and incapable of their own individuality.

Second, there are also some flaws in the telling of the story. I found the scene in which the villain dies to be completely unbelievable and disappointing. Additionally, the novel ends with much summation of what happened in FLA while Doc and Tomlinson were in Central America, a technique that is a part of the mystery genre, a technique that I always find ineffective.

"Sanibel Flats" is a good to very good illustration of the crime genre that has certain flaws. It's strengths include a rich sense of place and engaging male characters. The weaknesses include the depiction of women and a couple of significant issues with story telling. I like the place and characters so much that I give a 3-star book 4 stars.

Except for the end, when things were tied up a bit too prettily, the book was engaging and unusual. The hero is a scientist (marine biology), which is unusual in an action mystery thriller, and his sidekick is decidedly offbeat. The socialist revolutionary is a particular hoot. But I admit that a lot of my affection for the book is colored by its familiarity in setting: southwestern Florida and Central America in the 1980's. I don't run across many books with that combination.

When my kids were young one (or more) of their teachers (rightly) told them that it was OK, even good, to read books just because they are fun -- they called them something like "cotton candy" books. I just discovered Randy Wayne White's book and I think they fit the bill -- and they're well written and brilliantly plotted as a bonus. I've started with this one (loved it) and am going to read the whole series because I deserve it!

From Sanibel. Has restaurant named after his character, Doc Ford. Fairly complicated, good developed characters.Doc lives on the water, maybe retired from the CIA. Returns to Sanibel where he was raised.In Sanibel Flats he goes to Central America to save old friends son who was kidnapped by very bad people.

Randy Wayne White (born 1950) is an American writer of crime fiction and non-fiction adventure tales. He has written best-selling novels and has received awards for his fiction and a television documentary. He is best known for his series of crime novels featuring the retired NSA agent Doc Ford, a marine biologist living on the Gulf Coast of southern Florida. White hasaka Carl Ramm, Randy Striker

Randy Wayne White (born 1950) is an American writer of crime fiction and non-fiction adventure tales. He has written best-selling novels and has received awards for his fiction and a television documentary. He is best known for his series of crime novels featuring the retired NSA agent Doc Ford, a marine biologist living on the Gulf Coast of southern Florida. White has contributed material on a variety of topics to numerous magazines and has lectured across the United States. A resident of Southwest Florida since 1972, he currently lives on Pine Island, Florida, where he is active in South Florida civic affairs and with the restaurant Doc Ford's Sanibel Rum Bar & Grill on nearby Sanibel Island.